NEW DELHI: Barely 3km from the spot in Lajpat Nagar where 19-year-old Nido Tania was brutally assaulted on Wednesday, two young women from Manipur were thrashed in full public view by some local goons at Kotla Mubarakpur. It happened four days before the latest outrage and came to light in the aftermath of the death of Tania.

What provoked the men to attack the two hapless women was the fallout of a prank targeting the latter. One of them had kicked a dog in panic, as a reflex action, when she found its leash tied to her boots. It was part of their daily harassment and the men, as if on cue, attacked them.

Tharmila Jajo and Chonmila came face to face with the harsh reality of living in Delhi around 9pm on January 25. Chonmila, who works at a local mall, had gone to a local shop managed by Tharmila to buy some Manipuri herbs. On spotting them, the goons first hurled racial abuses at them. When they didn't react, one of them tied the leash of his pet dog to Chonmila's boots. She got so scared that she started kicking the dog away, afraid that it would bite her.

First, the men were just doubling up in laughter. But when they saw the woman trying to get away from the dog, they suddenly started beating her, accusing her of ill-treating the animal. When Tharmila intervened, two men dragged her out by the hair, virtually pulling her over the counter.

"There are many shops in the same lane but none of the shopkeepers came out to help. We are humans but here every day it's a struggle for basic things," said 25-year-old Tharmila. The girls say the same men, most of them in their late 20s, urinate on the shops' walls and drink in front of the girls. "They pass comments like 'Nepali dhandewali', 'rate kitna hai' etc." In the same narrow lane, with wires dangling on top, there are three more shops - a men's saloon and two grocery shops - but all the owners said they didn't see anything. Danish, who works at the salon, said, "We keep the door closed and scuffles are routine here. We don't know what happened here that night."

When three of the women's friends, also from northeast, rushed to their help, the goons didn't spare them either. "The whole lane was full as people in the neighbourhood came out after hearing the girls' scream. But no one came to help," said Lungshim Shaiza (27), a Naga. Shaiza was badly beaten up as he tried to stop the men from kicking the woman. He apparently fractured two fingers of his left hand. His friend, Phungreingam Jajo (22), from Manipur lost his mobile phone and wallet in the clash.

This wasn't the end of the women's nightmare. When they went to the Kotla Mubarakpur police station, the cops first refused to register an FIR, alleged the women. "From 10:30pm to 6 in the morning, we sat at the police station waiting to get the complaint registered. We called some of the northeast association members who, in turn, called up joint commissioner of police Robin Hibu and the FIR was finally registered," said Mungreiwung W. Mungrei (20), a student. It was, in fact, his statement that was recorded but no arrests were made. He explained that the cops kept telling him how he and his friends were wasting the police's time as they will go back to the hills and not pursue the case.

Two women being assaulted should have been enough for the cops to file a case promptly and investigate but strangely enough they were reluctant, allege the girls. "The cops don't listen to us and pretend not to understand English. They asked us to narrate the incident in Hindi, knowing that most of us don't know the language that well," said Sorinthan Haorei, secretary, Tangkhul Students Union, Delhi.

Now, the two women are living in fear as no action has been taken against those who assaulted them. They are looking for new accommodation. An officer at the police station told TOI they were investigating the matter. "The cops aren't arresting the culprits, and even on Friday, one of the men passed a comment. We work in malls, restaurants and call centres to support our education in the city and help our family back home. But finding a house in this city is so difficult and the rent for us is always more than the market rate," said the Manipuri women.

Sharing his experiences, Haorei said when he came to Delhi he "was paying the broker commission every month apart from the rent. He (the broker) told me that in Delhi brokers are paid commission every month. Later, I got to know that he was charging me for no reason."

Kotla Mubarakpur has a substantial number of people from North-East, especially from Manipur and Nagaland. One can also find Africans walking in the narrow lanes.

This wasn't the end of the women's nightmare. When they went to the Kotla Mubarakpur police station, the cops first refused to register an FIR, alleged the women. "From 10:30pm to 6 in the morning, we sat at the police station waiting to get the complaint registered. We called some of the northeast association members who, in turn, called up joint commissioner of police Robin Hibu and the FIR was finally registered," said Mungreiwung W. Mungrei (20), a student. It was, in fact, his statement that was recorded but no arrests were made. He explained that the cops kept telling him how he and his friends were wasting the police's time as they will go back to the hills and not pursue the case.

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It is clear that the Delhi police has a disease of not registering FIR. Kejriwal rightly raised this point several times. Something needs to be done which ensures that the Delhi police has the fear of God struck into them so that they don't dare to refuse to register FIR. Some strong precedents need to be set. I would be completely in favour of suspension of the cop who refused to register an FIR in this case. Each case that comes to light where the police refuse to register FIR, needs to result in suspension of someone. That is the only way a precedent can be set.

Causes for these kind of incidences are deeply rooted in patriarchal Indo Aryan culture. Sooner the society adapts to new changes in women's social roles, the better it is. Right now, the Indian society is in the transition mode.

Causes for these kind of incidences are deeply rooted in patriarchal Indo Aryan culture. Sooner the society adapts to new changes in women's social roles, the better it is. Right now, the Indian society is in the transition mode.

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One of the most shittiest thing I have ever heard.

First blame the women for the rape. Make the victim the accused. Now use society and culture as an escape for all this. What kind of an educated response is it. Please ignore the word educated in the previous sentence.

The only way to tackle this is to get those ignorant bastards arrested and prosecuted in a quick time. This will deter similar turds from such misadventures, but it seems DP are busy other more crucial work.

First blame the women for the rape. Make the victim the accused. Now use society and culture as an escape for all this. What kind of an educated response is it. Please ignore the word educated in the previous sentence.

The only way to tackle this is to get those ignorant bastards arrested and prosecuted in a quick time. This will deter similar turds from such misadventures, but it seems DP are busy other more crucial work.

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How is this shit post? Aren't you aware of Indo Aryan second degree treatment of women? How many reforms were done in British India to uplift position of women? But, still we need more reforms as the psyche of men still not much different. These things are more due to cultural upbringing than due to other problems like pervertism, poverty, alcoholism etc.

How is this shit post? Aren't you aware of Indo Aryan second degree treatment of women? How many reforms were done in British India to uplift position of women? But, still we need more reforms as the psyche of men still not much different. These things are more due to cultural upbringing than due to other problems like pervertism, poverty, alcoholism etc.

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This is shitty because of blaming this on culturalism. Indo-Aryan shit ended several 1000 years back.

Why don't go ask questions such as why the DP is taking time registering FIRs?

Why the DP turn a blind eye to all the harassment towards these people?

What about you, what if you travel to a new city and you are lynched? Would you blame it on bloody culture.

On hind sight this is because of culture, the culture of turning a blind eye towards all these incidents.

This is shitty because of blaming this on culturalism. Indo-Aryan shit ended several 1000 years back.

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No, it didn't end 1000years back and it is the reason behind skewed gender ratio of North India. Now, don't blame technology or technicians or doctors as corrupt for all the female infanticides/foeticides. It is very much a cultural factor. People don't want female children, why? Because society is not favourable to them. First change the society, police and other forces are for preserving society and social values and not for forming social values.

No, it didn't end 1000years back and it is the reason behind skewed gender ratio of North India. Now, don't blame technology or technicians or doctors as corrupt for all the female infanticides. It is very much a cultural factor. People don't want female children, why? Because society is not favourable to them. First change the society, police and other forces are for preserving society and social values and not for forming social values.

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Dude you got to be fckin kidding me!

Please tell me how a bunch of goons making fun of poor women has anything to do with culture and Aryans or even Mughals.

First the upbringing of the goons is a fault. Second the lack of punishment, third apathy of people like you.

Please tell me how a bunch of goons making fun of poor women has anything to do with culture and Aryans or even Mughals.

First the upbringing of the goons is a fault. Second the lack of punishment, third apathy of people like you.

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Because it is the culture that shapes our personality. If a society has a culture that promotes objectification of women with strict gender roles then second degree treatment of women is inevitable.
C'mon man you are making strawman's argument, I never wrote that culprits don't need punishment or had justified rape or am apathetic to crimes, what I meant is that forces or punishment are like treatment and not cure. Real evil is deep rooted in the social structure and culture, till that is rooted out, nothing can change it.

Lesbian feminism is the least we want in India. let the kind of Jezebel's leave this country for USA. feminist literature corrupting women and men alike. when Patriarchy is replaced, it is Butch lesbians replacing men for women. it is not Europe or America where Feminists and Jews manipulate laws and system in favour of them. equality does not mean femin(azi)ism.